Meijia led the two of them on a tour around the mansion, and Duanmu Huai finally understood why Meijia invited them here.

This place... just gives off an uncomfortable feeling.

To be honest, from the outside, the mansion looks quite nice, and there's plenty of natural light. Unlike many mansions that are dark and gloomy, the glass dome and floor-to-ceiling windows provide abundant light to the entire mansion. If you only look at photos, you'd think it was a very luxurious and bright setting.

But actually walking inside, well... that's another matter entirely.

If Duanmu Huai had to make a comparison, the mansion feels like an operating room or a morgue. Despite the ample lighting, there's always a pervasive chill that lingers, even during the day. Meijia said that before they arrived, she had been reading in the garden outside—it's no wonder she didn't like staying here.

Moreover, since her parents are abroad and couldn't come back, Meijia is essentially alone here—those two maids are clearly not her companions. Duanmu Huai and Shajuye also met another maid, whom Meijia said was Sankawa Granny's daughter, a woman in her thirties. She, too, remained stern-faced and spoke little, looking as solemn as if she were in a mourning hall...

Are you celebrating a birthday or keeping a vigil?

"This place is truly not suitable for celebrating a birthday."

After the tour, Duanmu Huai sat on the sofa in the reception room and unabashedly gave his opinion.

"If you ask me, this place is more suitable for a wake."

"Brother...!"

"Ahahaha, it's alright, Shajuye, actually I have the same feeling."

Meijia stopped Shajuye's complaint with a bittersweet smile.

"Actually... nobody likes it here... unless it's for a birthday, no one would come."

"Then why celebrate a birthday here? Why not change the venue?"

Duanmu Huai couldn't believe that in this whole family, no one was rebellious; were they all as compliant as sheep?

"... ... ... ..."

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai's retort, Meijia's expression darkened slightly, then she uneasily glanced around.

"Actually... there was once someone who thought this tradition was too stupid and decided to abandon the ritual, but later... he died."

"Died?"

"Yes."

Meijia nodded fervently, her wrist holding the hem of her skirt turning pale.

"He was a distant cousin of mine who, at sixteen, decided to skip the birthday here and went to a karaoke with friends instead."

Well, that fits the modern student's characteristics; celebrating a birthday in karaoke is quite common.

"But early the next morning, when the server opened the private room's door, they found my cousin dead. And not just him; all his classmates who were in the room with him died tragically. The scene was said to be very gruesome, with everyone disemboweled..."

"Such a thing happened?"

Upon hearing this, Shajuye's face went pale too, and Meijia gave a silent nod.

"Yes, the Bai Fan family paid a considerable sum to suppress the incident, officially claiming they overdosed on drugs in the room and killed each other... but we all know that's not the truth. Afterward, everyone said it was the punishment for that cousin breaking tradition..."

No wonder, even though no one is willing, they all follow the rule. After all, you only turn sixteen once in a lifetime, and even if you're unwilling, you can grit your teeth and get through it. Whether or not the story is true, it's certainly better than losing one's life.

Of course, you could call it a coincidence, but this is a life-or-death matter; you only have one life, and who would want to gamble with it, right?

Moreover, according to Meijia, there are actually three rules.

The first rule is what she mentioned earlier: Every member of the Bai Fan family must celebrate their sixteenth birthday in this mansion.

But it's not just about finding any random spot in the mansion to celebrate your birthday; there are two other rules as well.

The second rule is that the birthday celebrant must arrive at the mansion a day early and stay in the guest room at the far end of the east side on the second floor.

Yes, the guest room.

The mansion has three floors: the first floor mainly hosts the dining room, kitchen, and entertainment rooms, the second floor has guest rooms, and the third floor comprises the study and master bedroom. As a member of the Bai Fan family, Meijia naturally has her own room in the mansion, but... it doesn't matter.

She must stay in the guest room on the east side of the second floor on the day before her birthday, and the entire east side is considered off-limits; no one can remain there, not even in the corridor. To prevent guests residing on the west side from wandering into the east side, an iron door separates them, and only Sankawa Granny has the key.

"That guest room must be huge, right?"

Upon hearing this, Shajuye curiously asked. In the west side of the mansion, there are a total of six guest rooms, which Meijia already showed them. These rooms are decorated similarly to hotel rooms, each with a bathroom and a bed, along with a desk and a television.

Yes, essentially, it's no different from a regular hotel room.

The west corridor has three guest rooms on each side, making six altogether. The east side has only one guest room, with the entrance located at the very end, so naturally, you'd expect that room to be considerably larger than Duanmu Huai and the others'.

However...

"No, actually, the guest room I stay in is no different from everyone else's; they're all the same size."

"Huh? Really? But with such a large space..."

"I don't know either..."

Meijia shook her head and continued speaking.

As for the third rule, after entering the guest room by ten o'clock the night before the birthday, the celebrant is not allowed to leave. The celebrant can only leave the room at noon the following day. Only then will the maid open the locked iron door and lead the celebrant to the chapel in the separate pavilion, where they will celebrate their birthday.

Moreover, after the birthday, the birthday star must return to the east guest room by ten o'clock at night and stay one more night. They can leave at noon on the third day.

"............…"

After hearing Meijia's introduction, Duanmu Huai and Shajuye exchanged puzzled glances.

This is celebrating a birthday?

Isn't this some kind of cult ritual?

And if you're celebrating a birthday, just celebrate it. Why go to the chapel in the Separate Pavilion? Isn't a restaurant fine?

No wonder Meijia is so nervous, because it was that rebellious cousin who had an accident last year, and now it's her turn this year!

Originally, Meijia just thought it was a strange ritual, but once someone died, the situation naturally became different!

Moreover, her parents were busy with work and hadn't returned from overseas, and she couldn't rely on those relatives she only saw a few times a year. The maids here were each more bizarre than the next, so she had no choice but to invite Duanmu Huai and Shajuye. Even if they couldn't help much, it was good to bolster one's courage.

"That chapel is the one in the Separate Pavilion? Can we go take a look?"

"No."

Meijia shook her head with a bitter expression.

"The key to the chapel is with that Lady Língbù, and she says it can only be opened on the birthday itself."

Lady Língbù is Sankawa Granny's daughter, the thirty-something serious-faced woman Duanmu Huai and Shajuye had seen before.

"Uh......…"

Shajuye found herself speechless; this was the first time she had seen such a bizarre birthday.

Duanmu Huai felt the same way; what kind of lunacy is this.

"Ah, right, Meijia."

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Shajuye decisively changed the topic and took a gift box from her bag.

"This is your birthday gift, happy birthday."

"Thank you!"

Receiving the birthday gift, Meijia's originally sullen expression relaxed a bit.

"Can I open it?"

"Of course."

With Shajuye's permission, Meijia opened the gift box to reveal a pair of rather exquisite earrings—very much a young girl's gift.

Duanmu Huai nodded, then looked at Shajuye, who was gazing at him, and couldn't help but pause in surprise.

Do I need to give something too?

"Uh......…"

Under Shajuye's silent urging, Duanmu Huai reached into his pocket and pulled out an item, handing it over.

"Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Mr. Duanmu, is this......…a pendant?"

Curious, Meijia accepted the gift from Duanmu Huai, somewhat surprised. Clearly, it was a pendant, but the decoration on it was a bit strange. Hanging on the metal chain was a metal skull emblem, from which multiple tentacles extended from the eye sockets and mouth, wrapping around a war hammer. And the suction cups on those tentacles each contained a wide-open eye...…

"Brother, this is something only boys would like...…"

Seeing this, Shajuye couldn't help but retort, and it's no wonder she said that. After all, it did look like the death metal stuff that those teenage boys loved...…certainly not suitable for a gentle and knowledgeable girl like Meijia.

"Kids, what do you know? This is an amulet."

Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes at Shajuye. Kidding, this was an item infused with his divine power, saying it was a Divine Artifact wouldn't be an exaggeration. Unless Meijia encountered something on the level of the Three Illusionary Gods, this pendant would take down any Void Ghost, Ghoul, or Serpent People of Bai Yaji, it was "man stops men, Buddha stops Buddha," even lower-ranked Outer Gods wouldn't stand a chance.

Of course, if you run into Shub-Niggurath or Nyarlathotep… well, better get to sleep earlier.

Hope for better luck in the next life.

"An amulet? This doesn't look like an amulet at all, does it?"

Shajuye's expression was also quite animated, after all, it really did look like a cursed item—well, actually, it was.

Since it was something transformed with olden day divine power by Duanmu Huai.

"Thanks, Mr. Duanmu, I'll accept it then."

However, Meijia didn't seem to mind these small details; she simply put the necklace around her neck and tucked it under her coat, making it less visible to people.

Seeing this, Shajuye still wanted to say something, but suddenly a chaotic shuffle of footsteps echoed, and then the sitting room's door was rudely pushed open.

"Yo, hello everyone."

Afterwards, a man entered with loud laughter.

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